Efficiency is strictly middle-of-the-road, and the Yoga Slim 7x turned in common scores among the many 5 Copilot+ PCs I’ve examined up to now, on each basic CPU-intensive purposes and graphics-heavy exams, although I did obtain an oddly outlying excessive rating on the Cinebench 2024 image-rendering benchmark I couldn’t readily clarify. A curious outcome, however I gained’t shrug at unexpectedly nice efficiency, nonetheless fleeting it’s.
On the danger of repeating myself but once more, keep in mind that Snapdragon-based computer systems nonetheless have compatibility points and gained’t run each app; in the event you want the fundamentals—net browser, Microsoft Workplace, Minesweeper—this gained’t be a giant deal, however energy customers are already working into roadblocks with a few of their most important items of software program.
The laptop computer’s battery life, in step with different Copilot+ PC models, is exemplary. Its rating of 15 hours and 36 minutes on a full-screen YouTube check was second solely to the Floor Professional’s 17 hours and 20 minutes, and simply forward of the 15 hours I achieved on the HP EliteBook Extremely G1q. Audio high quality is ok however in need of stellar; in a bigger room, it gained’t be enough for film evening.
The hands-on expertise with the laptop computer is strong. The 14.5-inch display screen is an oddball dimension, nevertheless it provides the laptop computer a bit extra roominess with out feeling overly massive. The keyboard has that traditional Lenovo snap, with well-spaced keys and a lightweight powder coating on the keycaps that provides them a pleasing really feel on the fingertips. The touchpad is spacious with out being garishly massive, and I hardly ever hit it with a palm whereas typing.
{Photograph}: Christopher Null
There may be one draw back to the Slim 7x, and it’s sort of a giant one: The fan runs even beneath reasonable hundreds, and it’s loud—by far the loudest Copilot+ PC I’ve examined up to now. The brand new Snapdragon chipset is meant to usually sip energy, which is why it allows such spectacular battery life, so a bruisingly loud fan is a shock right here. It’s an unlucky eyesore (earsore?) in what’s in any other case a formidable package deal.
Making up for that and some other defects is the value. At $1,200, the Yoga Slim 7x is the most cost effective of the Copilot+ PCs I’ve examined up to now, and greenback for greenback it’s acquired the most effective price-to-performance ratio of any of the lot, no matter what metric you’re (uncooked efficiency or battery life). In case you’re looking for a flashy, head-turning expertise, best-in-class energy, or room-filling multimedia system, this most likely is not your best option. However in order for you an all-around strong utility participant at an affordable value (and also you’re offered on Snapdragon), you may’t go unsuitable.
